Rhythm of my life

chapter 26

Rachel was undergoing a training period by all the seniors out there. She was new to the whole concept of motherhood.
Now, she was a hands-on mom to her daughter. Though, the nurse used to keep a watch on Pari during the day. Rachel ensured that Pari was beside her at night.
The no. of orphan’s grew in a period of one month. Sparsh was livelier now. The elders were entertained by the young kids. The kids too were happy to have their presence. It turned out to be a homely feeling for all.
With Mohit’s influence, all the kids were enrolled to a well-off school.
Rachel had too many things to cater too. But Pari bought that smile back on her face, by the end of the day. Each day was a new experience for Rachel, seeing the little one grow.
Rachel loved being a mom. At the end of the day, she had someone to live for.
This driving force kept her motivated all throughout.
****
Mohit was a regular visitor at Sparsh. He used to interact with the seniors, about their daily affairs. He would enquire about their unfulfilled dreams or desires, in order to fulfil it.
Mohit played a great role in uniting two of them with their families, after counselling their families.
He used to interact with the kids, to know their dreams and fantasies. He would shower them with knowledge and take them on a tour around the world, through his stories.
Mohit dedicated alternate Sundays, for a tour with his kids and those from Sparsh in-n-around Mumbai. By doing this, they had nearly covered the prime spots of Mumbai: Film city, Queens necklace, Juhu beach, Nehru Planetarium etc.
Movies were often featured at the home, for the young and the old.
Mohit grew closer to Pari as the days passed by. He missed having a daughter, but his fondness for Pari grew in a period of time. Pari would cheer up by his sight and would never let him go. She felt secure in those arms. Mohit would cuddle her up in his strong arms.
Everyone at Sparsh sensed the bonding between the two, so did Rachel.
Daisy too was a frequent visitor now, but it was her love for Pari that drove her this far.
****
On completion of Sparsh’s first anniversary, a party was organized. It had prominent people from the local area and those close to Mohit.
The kids had put up a dance performance and drama, the elders were also involved in it.
Each of the seniors shared their life experiences, which moved many to tears. It was an eye opener for many.
Rachel was congratulated by the guest, for taking up the responsibility of Sparsh and for its smooth functioning.
The crowd dispersed, after dinner.
Mohit bid goodbye to Rachel and Pari and all at Sparsh. Hse walked a few steps outside the gate, towards his car. Two rounds of bullet were shot. Next moment, Mohit was lying in a pool of blood.
Rachel froze for a moment at the sight. Her body was shivering. She handed Pari to Seetha and ran towards him. She was shattered seeing him in that state.
Mohit’s driver and few passer-bys put him in his car. Rachel took him to a nearby hospital with the help of the driver.
He’s was wheeled into the ICU. The local police station was informed.
Rachel was in a state of shock, a total denial mode. She was not in a position to face yet another tragedy. She cursed her stars. All her close ones had vanished from the earth, except a handful of them remained.
A vacuum created within her, her heart ached for him. She was in a total denial mode. She realized; he was the biggest support system of her life.
The doctor had given 24hrs time, he was still unconscious.
The kids had gone for their school camp, so they were unaware about their father’s condition. He meant the world to them.
The media wasn’t informed about this news. It would create a chaos among the investors and the shares would drop down, the next moment.
The police arrived and took down Rachel’s statement. Rachel explained what she witnessed and burst into tears.
Just when the police enquired, about any threat calls to Mohit, Rachel’s eyes widened. She remembered, Mohit mentioning about some threat calls from a builder, a few months back. It was related to the building that Mohit had purchased to start ‘Sparsh’. She immediately intimated the cops about the same.
Mohit’s mobile was taken into custody. The cops informed the doctor-in-charge and Rachel, before leaving the hospital.
Rachel immediately called up Daisy and burst out crying. Daisy sensed that something was serious. She feared to know what it was.
“Aunty, Mohit was shot down ……in front of my eyes. I can’t lose him at any cost. Everyone has left me till date.”
Daisy stood rooted, she fumbled for words to console her, “Oh dear, leave it to God.”
She enquired further, Rachel narrated what happened in front of her.
“Leave it to God!…leave it to God!…..I lost my parents because of Him,” she screeched over the phone.
Daisy wept at the other end; she had no answer to her question.
Rachel disconnected the line; she knew only He could save him. She spent the entire night at the hospital, hoping to hear some good news.
She had turned herself to a flashback mode. Her first interaction with Mohit, at work, at the party until he finally collapsed. Ever since she rejected his proposal, he never came up with it again.
He loved Pari, she  too loved him.
Sleep was no where close to her. One glimpse of him, that’s all she wanted.
She prayed deeply from within, “Oh God, you have taken all my loved ones away. Leave Mohit for me, I need him. I never realized his true worth when he was around. But now I know my life isn’t complete without him. He was there during my ups n downs in life, but I never valued those gestures. Today, I’m begging for his life, I haven’t committed so much sin, to face this much in life. I want to open my heart out to him. Give me one chance.”
She messaged Seetha to take care of Pari, until she was back.
It was 4in the morning, when her eyes got heavier and she drifted to sleep.
*****
Next morning, Rachel woke up with the commotion outside the ICU. She could see the doctors and nurses, rushing in-n-out of the ICU. Her heart nearly stopped pumping. She could recollect, a similar scene, at the time of her mother’s death.
Rachel dreaded the worst.
A nurse approached her, and said,“Thank God! he’s out of danger. He regained his conscious an hr back. You seemed very tired so didn’t bother to disturb you.
Rachel smiled at her, few tears escaped those eyes. Those were the tears of happiness.
“Can I meet him, please?” she pleaded to the nurse.
The nurse nodded in approval. Rachel sprinted her way to the ICU, as if she conquered the world.
Rachel sat beside him, and held his hand. He opened his eyes at the touch and faked a smile at Rachel. She burst out, trying to release all her emotions. She wanted to tell those magical words, but was choked with emotions. Mohit gave a blank look at her, he couldn’t console her, in this state.
In between sobs, she confessed still holding his hand, “Mohit, I love you, I love you, I love you…please don’t leave me. I need you for life.”
Mohit’s eyes grew wider, in spite of the pain. But those words were soothing for that aching body. He moved his lips by saying ‘l love you’, in a feeble voice.
Rachel pecked his cheeks.
Romance filled the air. The love birds had just begun their journey.